Monastic spirituality in the 21st Century Essay Example for Free

Monastic spirituality in the 21st Century Essay In the 21st Century, it could be said that monastic spirituality in an outdated concept. In the contemporary world we live in today, it has become increasingly difficult to live obedient to the Churches teaching. Some people would argue that there should be no real set of moral codes, and that the Church should not have such high authority. This contrasts to the Celtic Monks belief that Nothing must be refused in their obedience; to be Christs true discipleit will not be pleasing to the Lord. In society today, people dont see a need for a moral code. They make their own subjective decisions about what is right and wrong from them, and dont accept religious or government law. Grove argues People do not see the Church as having a real relevance in their everyday lives, and therefore do not recognise its authority in everyday matters. Some sociologists have said that it is this belief that has led to religious organizations watering down their beliefs to accommodate many beliefs, in the hope that this would make their religion more popular. However, in actual fact this can often lead to the religious organization becoming less popular, as they may lose the devoted members, who arent looking for a watered down religion. Pope Benedict said that relativismdoes not recognise anything as being certainits highest goals are ones own ego and desire. Relativism is the belief that concepts such as right and wrong, goodness and badness, or truth and falsehood are not definite and that they alter in different cultures and situations. It could be described as the cherry picking for faith. An example of this would be ignoring the rule of no contraception, for promiscuous reasons. An other common example would be the issue of sex before marriage. The Celtic monks had a huge sense of Divine Will that had to be obeyed. Saint Columbanus reminded us of this by saying by strict obedience shall the monk show his love of God. Many of these traits, that the monks found so admirable, have been lost in todays society. Monks believed that community was better than the individual, and that when we do something, it should be for the sake of the community, rather than for the sake of the individual themselves. The monks saw obedience as responding to Gods call. We can see a huge lack of obedience to God by looking at the large decline in vocations in recent years. In 2008, in Dublin, only three people were ordained into the priesthood. There are many reasons for this, a main possibility being the recent scandal the Church has been involved in in recent years. In 1968, 95% of Catholics went to mass. By 2004 this amount had dropped to a mere 50% (BBC Newsline). These figures support the view that as Christians, we no longer feel compelled to be obedient to God. This can relate back to what Pope Benedict described as The Culture of Relativism. Another debated issue is the importance of chastity and sexuality in our society today. Saint Columbanus said a monks chastity is indeed judged by his thoughts. He said that they were not only judged by sexual relations, but by the purity of the mind, and the sexual desires that they experienced. This view contrasts greatly to the view of society today. In our modern society, people are often sexually objectified. An estimated average of 75% of prime television shows include content of a sexual nature, and in soap operas it is estimated that extra-marital sex is referred to two out of three times every hour. This is because the television companys know that in todays society, sex sells. It is no longer thought of as a big deal, and there has been a massive increase in sexual promiscuity. This has led to a big increase in sexually transmitted diseases, which are becoming increasingly difficult to control. It also meant a big increase in the amount of unwanted pregnancies. Unlike monastic living which promoted the selfless giving of ones self to the community, we have adopted a hedonistic, narcissistic attitude. We have become our own lust. Michael Maher points out that the standards in Celtic monasteries are severe, particularly in the area of sexual morality. For many today, the idea of chastity is an outdated concept and is problematic for the future of the priesthood in the Catholic Church. This would lead me to believe that in regard to this aspect of monastic life, monastic spirituality could very easily be perceived as outdated in the 21st Century. Brigid of Kildare had a preferential option for the poor. She vowed to the king of Leinster, If I had all your wealth, I would take it and give it away to the poor, So Brigids monastery in Kildare, became known as the City of the poor. Aidan of Lindesfarm also expressed solidarity to the poor, when he gave away the kings gift of a horse to the first beggar he met saying Surely this son of a mare is not more important to you than that son of man. However, the Church didnt always share the same view. Leondardo Boff argues that the Church became an abstract speculation removed from the original spirit of the Gospel message, and out of touch with real life. The Church has been criticised for siding with the vested interest, and in its history has even been involved in colonisation and the removal of land from the peasantry, in its commitment to obeying the laws of the land. Richard Woods reminds us that justice and chastity were the main hinges of Celtic social action. This is another way, in that it could be said that monastic spirituality is an outdated concept in the 21st Century. Views that should be had today have slowly died off, and have left places worse off. However, Bishop Casadaliga reminds us that as long as there are poor people in the world, and as long as there is a God who cares for the poor, there will be a need for a theology of Liberation. The spirit of Liberation Theology is very much evident in Celtic Monasticism in many ways, from the care of the poor and the sinner, to the welcoming of the stranger. Hospitality was always extremely generous in the monasteries, and any stranger who came was very well looked after. In 2004, 19% of asylum seekers were allowed to find refuge in Britain, while 78% were turned away. The Celtic monks in their openness to all, especially the weakest turned no one away. This shows another way that Monastic Spirituality could be considered an outdated concept in 21st Century life. In conclusion, it would appear that Monastic Spirituality is in fact an outdated concept in 21st Century living, with our lackadaisical views on chastity and sexuality, and our selfish views on poverty, it seems that Monastic Spirituality has been lost, and I believe it would be in the Catholic Churches interest to try and retrieve some of this monastic spirit.

Anti-kickback Implications of a Retail Medical Center (RMC) Essay

During the last two decades the health delivery system has been revolutionized. Many patients no longer visit the traditional medical facility system but choose to visit RMCs to receive limited medical care. The new phenomena are known as RMCs and are a new delivery service for health-care services. As far back as 1995, Newt Gingrich predicted that patients would â€Å"go to Canada or Wal-Mart.† For example, retail medical clinics appear in pharmacies, grocery stores, and big-box retailers like Wal-Mart, offering basic health care services. Furthermore, retail stores have joined in the health-care fray in an effort to increase sales in the retail stores either through increased pharmacy sales or as an increased traffic in other areas of the stores. By establishing the medical clinics in retails stores, it allows the patient to experience more efficiency with the delivery of medical services. For example, when I have cold or flu symptoms, I make a quick trip to the ret ail clinic and see the Nurse Practitioner within fifteen minutes rather than spending hour visiting the traditional clinic in the Houston Medical Center. Patients could spend an hour or two in visiting the traditional doctor while a trip to the retail medical clinic could spend as little as fifteen minutes waiting for their appointment. Additionally, during the time that the patient is visiting the retail medical clinic, the one could shop for other items within the store such as groceries or soft goods thus increasing the efficiency of medical visits. In some cases, the retail centers are even providing an electronic device to notify the patient when the medical representative is available to see the patient. Facts: Ready Clinic (â€Å"The Company†) will create a... ...f the anti-kickback statute. First, a requestor may not use a hypothetical situation as the basis of their advisory opinion; therefore, Ready Care must indicate that the coupon practice will be a practice that they seek to put in place. Seeking an advisory opinion should be used judiciously, as the process is quite lengthy and may be very expensive due to the legal costs. The company’s operations could be exposed to more scrutiny by their request for a ruling. Furthermore, a ruling should not be sought where the law is unambiguous. In the case of the coupon, the law does not appear to be ambiguous. Additionally, although the OIG has stated that the fact that an advisory opinion does not qualify for a safe harbor or receive a favorable treatment by the OIG, a negative ruling does not indicate that the anti-kickback statute has been violated. Anti-kickback Implications of a Retail Medical Center (RMC) Essay During the last two decades the health delivery system has been revolutionized. Many patients no longer visit the traditional medical facility system but choose to visit RMCs to receive limited medical care. The new phenomena are known as RMCs and are a new delivery service for health-care services. As far back as 1995, Newt Gingrich predicted that patients would â€Å"go to Canada or Wal-Mart.† For example, retail medical clinics appear in pharmacies, grocery stores, and big-box retailers like Wal-Mart, offering basic health care services. Furthermore, retail stores have joined in the health-care fray in an effort to increase sales in the retail stores either through increased pharmacy sales or as an increased traffic in other areas of the stores. By establishing the medical clinics in retails stores, it allows the patient to experience more efficiency with the delivery of medical services. For example, when I have cold or flu symptoms, I make a quick trip to the ret ail clinic and see the Nurse Practitioner within fifteen minutes rather than spending hour visiting the traditional clinic in the Houston Medical Center. Patients could spend an hour or two in visiting the traditional doctor while a trip to the retail medical clinic could spend as little as fifteen minutes waiting for their appointment. Additionally, during the time that the patient is visiting the retail medical clinic, the one could shop for other items within the store such as groceries or soft goods thus increasing the efficiency of medical visits. In some cases, the retail centers are even providing an electronic device to notify the patient when the medical representative is available to see the patient. Facts: Ready Clinic (â€Å"The Company†) will create a... ...f the anti-kickback statute. First, a requestor may not use a hypothetical situation as the basis of their advisory opinion; therefore, Ready Care must indicate that the coupon practice will be a practice that they seek to put in place. Seeking an advisory opinion should be used judiciously, as the process is quite lengthy and may be very expensive due to the legal costs. The company’s operations could be exposed to more scrutiny by their request for a ruling. Furthermore, a ruling should not be sought where the law is unambiguous. In the case of the coupon, the law does not appear to be ambiguous. Additionally, although the OIG has stated that the fact that an advisory opinion does not qualify for a safe harbor or receive a favorable treatment by the OIG, a negative ruling does not indicate that the anti-kickback statute has been violated.

The Cvs Web Strategy: an Evaluation of the Challenges and Advantages

THE CVS WEB STRATEGY: INTEGRATION OF AN ONLINE PHARMACY THE CVS WEB STRATEGY: AN EVALUATION OF THE CHALLENGES AND ADVANTAGES OF INTEGRATING AN ONLINE PHARMACY By Leah Bouk Wingate University 1 THE CVS WEB STRATEGY ABSTRACT This paper discusses the considerations surrounding CVS Pharmacy’s initiative to become a part of the virtual drugstore industry. Specifically, the organizational structure, fundamental design of the autonomous innovation, and strategic positioning of CVS. com were considered in evaluating the drug store’s ability to react to the disruptive technology.This paper serves to evaluate the effective initiatives, problems, and possible solutions to the considerations outlined above. As a result of this analysis, one can deduce that acquiring the web company Soma. com, instead of creating its own online component, was a successful strategy for the autonomous innovation. Shortfalls include not executing a strategy to circumvent the MerckMedco mail order dilem ma. Ultimately, a recommendation is that CVS. com differentiate itself by personalizing customer home pages and by fostering relationships with prescribing healthcare providers. THE CVS WEB STRATEGY TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 2 Introduction†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 4 Landscape†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦5 Organizational Structure†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. †¦ †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 6 Autonomous Innovation†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 8 Strategic Positioning†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 9 Summary†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 10 References†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦11 3 THE CVS WEB STRATEGY THE CVS WEB STRATEGY: AN EVALUATION OF THE INTEGRATION OF AN ONLINE PHARMACY INTRODUCTIONStrict regulation throughout the healthcare and pharmaceu tical industries arguably slows the advancement in technological innovation, especially when compared to the computer and automobile industries. Therefore, innovation in a multiproduct, integrated and hierarchical organization, like CVS Pharmacy, can be slow moving or non-existent. Nevertheless, the healthcare industry is a money-making giant and companies like CVS, which was rated number 47 on CNN’s Most Profitable Companies in 2011, help justify this point (cnn. oney. com). This paper discusses the considerations surrounding CVS Pharmacy’s initiative to cope with the disruptive technology created by the virtual drugstore industry. Specifically, I will discuss the organizational structure by virtue of the autonomous innovation and the strategic positioning of CVS. com. This paper serves to evaluate the effective initiatives, problems and possible solutions to the issues surrounding the onboarding of CVS. com. 4 THE CVS WEB STRATEGY LANDSCAPEIt is important to understa nd the complexity of the healthcare and pharmaceutical industry at the time the CVS drugstore chain was exploring the idea of acquiring an online option for its customers in 1999. The process of diagnosing, prescribing, dispensing and delivery was, and still is, extremely regulated. As an example, only licensed physicians have the capability to prescribe medications and only licensed retailers are able to dispense them. In addition, Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) have already monopolized the management of drug prescribing and dispensing by1999.PBMs put together formularies, through negotiations with the pharmaceutical companies, the retail pharmacies and the employers’ Managed Care Organization (MCO), that mandated which drug could be prescribed for a certain disease. Furthermore, many PBMs require that all 30 day supply prescriptions for chronic diseases be dispensed through mail order and many of the PBMs acquire their own distribution centers to provide this service. Thu s, the Managed Care Organizations, physicians, retail pharmacies and the patient all rely on PBMs to ensure the lowest cost and best care for all involved (Reinke, 2009).Like PBMs, retail pharmacies also enjoy the market power they generate. The paper CVS: The Web Strategy describes the impact of the retail pharmacy by relating that two thirds of all prescriptions filled at retail were filled by drugstores in 1999, which made up a 100 billion dollar market In 1998, CVS was second to Walgreen bringing in 15. 2 billion dollars (CVS: The Web Strategy, 2001, p. 11). 5 THE CVS WEB STRATEGY â€Å"Pure-play† online drugstores and non-prescription health care sites made their debut in the first quarter of 1999 and CVS followed suit by purchasing Soma. om to leverage a â€Å"clicks and mortar† operation that would combine a physical presence with a web presence. ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE Although it may seem atypical of a multi-product, integrated, hierarchical firm to look exte rnally for innovation, the relationship was a win-win for both CVS pharmacy and the virtual firm Soma. com. This idea is revealed in the essay CVS: The Web Strategy, which states, â€Å"CVS hoped to offer CVS. com the benefits of its buying power, advertising strength, brand name and access to 280 million prescriptions, while retaining the entrepreneurial spirit of the organization† (CVS: The Web Strategy, 2001, p. ). After thorough examination of both options, CVS decided to acquire the start-up company, since it would be quick to implement (only 3 to 4 months), it would bring intangible assets, and it shared the culture and views of CVS. The intangible tacit knowledge that Soma. com would bring to CVS included experienced employees with mail order prescription backgrounds and an understanding of the west coast market, since CVS stores were concentrated in the northeast and Soma. com’s headquarters were on the west coast.This national coverage provided for a larger sc ope that the online store would be able to take advantage of. Moreover, CVS was able to acquire 100% ownership of soma. com, which would allow for vertical integration within CVS. Merging with CVS made sense to soma. com as well. The virtual company was able to benefit from the economies of scale, as the cost of the web division could be spread across increasing units of production or in serving CVS’s growing customer base. Teece describes the benefit of an alliance between virtual and competent manufactures by saying that â€Å"if [virtual 6 THE CVS WEB STRATEGY irms] do indeed establish a strong alliance with a competent manufacturer, they may also have the capacity to be first to market, despite the absence of the requisite internal capabilities† (Teece, 2009, p. 59). Both soma. com and the PBMs, with which CVS works to get reimbursed for medications, would benefit from becoming a part, or affiliated with, CVS due to the company’s strong branding. John M. Gal laugher iterates this point in saying that â€Å"a firm’s brand is the symbolic embodiment of all the information connected with a product or service, and a strong brand can also be an exceptionally powerful resource for competitive advantage. Adding a website component will also enhance an already prominent brand. â€Å"Tech can play a critical role in rapidly and cost-effectively strengthening a brand† (Gallaugher, 2008, p. 6). While there were many advantages for CVS in acquiring Soma. com, CVS experienced the disadvantages of not owning the complementary asset, Merck-Medco, who refused to reimburse CVS. com for 30 day supply prescriptions. The issue surrounded the fact that MerckMedco already provided a mail order delivery for 30 day supply prescriptions and was not going to relinquish this opportunity to CVS. com.As previously outlined, PBMs were an integral complementary asset to the prescription drug industry in 1999 and served a large majority of CVS’s customers. Teece reveals that â€Å"when the services of complementary assets are required for new technology to yield value to the consumer, they can play an important role in the competitive advantage equation† (Teece, 2009, p25). Furthermore, Teece relates that â€Å"competitive advantage can be gained or lost on how expertly the strategy for gaining access is executed† (Teece, 2009, p25). Further research reveals that in shortly after CVS. om was launched, Merck-Medco and CVS formed an alliance so that CVS customers could purchase their prescriptions on the Merck-Medco site (Conlin, 1999). 7 THE CVS WEB STRATEGY AUTONOMOUS INNOVATION Since CVS was a highly integrated company, incorporating the online pharmacy throughout the rest of the company, or systemic innovation, would be extremely costly and might discourage further innovation. This is what happened to General Motors when the automobile industry switched from drum brakes to disc brakes. Because GM had investe d a great deal of time and money to produce drum brakes, it was slow to move towards producing disc brakes.GM’s competitors, however, who outsourced and relied on outside relationships were forced to make the switch and gained a better position in the industry (Teece, 2003, p. 192). Thus, CVS was smart to opt for an autonomous organizational approach by creating a separate website team managed by Soma. com. This team could react to the changing environment quickly and make recommendations against initiatives that would be time consuming and costly, as they did when the Vice President of Marketing for CVS, Helena Foulkes, argued that all products sold in stores should be available for purchase on the website.Foulkes was focused on learning about the customer through their online activities. Large, integrated companies also tend to focus on customers for innovation, which is not always the best angle. The paper, CVS: The Web Strategy, reveals that the CVS merchandising departme nt spent a lot of time and energy on the internal and external benchmarks, relying on customer activities when making decisions about marketing, promotion, pricing and merchandising. They would then send this codified information to the CVS. com online team (CVS: The Web Strategy, 2011, p. ). Clayton Christenson, an expert in the field of technological innovation, discusses the problem that arises when too much emphasis is placed on the customer. Christenson relates that â€Å"the highest-performing companies†¦have well developed systems for killing ideas that their customers don’t want. As a result, these companies find it very 8 THE CVS WEB STRATEGY difficult to invest adequate resources in disruptive technologies—lower-margin opportunities that their customers don’t want—until their customers want them† (Christensen, 1997). STRATEGIC POSITIONINGAs previously outlined, the initiative to integrate an online pharmacy was not a new concept to t he industry. Therefore, it was important that CVS. com respond to the disruptive technology by differentiating itself from the other online drugstores. CVS. com would offer online patient counseling through a virtual pharmacist, which was available 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Tom Pigott, founder of Soma. com relates about the significance of providing this service, â€Å"we had pharmacists, which created an inherent barrier to entry. Anyone can start a vitamin shop, all you need are a ebsite and a supplier† (CVS: The Web Strategy, 2011, p. 6). Another feature of CVS. com that set it apart was the â€Å"clicks and mortar† delivery options. This term refers to an operation that combines a physical presence with a web presence. Helena Foulkes describes a personal testimony of the convenience of the â€Å"clicks and mortar† operation. â€Å"For someone like me who works and has children and doesn’t think about getting to a store till 11’o clock at n ight, it would be extremely convenient to hop online and place an order and pick up that much-needed prescription on the way home† (CVS: The Web Strategy, 2011, p. ). Despite the attempts of CVS. com to differentiate from other online pharmacies, the company’s myopic views were a source of several missed opportunities to leverage competitive advantage. First, CVS. com should have better integrated the Xtra! Frequent Shopper Program, in which customers gained points that turned in rewards, so that consumers could benefit from prescriptions ordered online. Second, CVS. com could have created a more personalized home 9 THE CVS WEB STRATEGY age that, not only stored a customer’s order history, but provided information about side effects and related diseases when a customer entered a prescription. The secure personal homepage could potentially even keep track of doctor’s appointments for the customer, creating a reminder that would be emailed to the customer a day before the visit. The more data CVS. com could capture about their customers, the stronger the switching cost would be. Switching costs exist when consumers incur an expense, money or time, to move from one product or service to another (Gallaugher, 2008, p. ). Thomas Reinke reveals this concept in a peer reviewed journal explaining the reason why companies do not want to switch to other PBMs, â€Å"employers are reluctant to switch vendors because of the work and cost involved and-more importantly-because of the hassle it creates for employees in learning the rules and procedures of a new company† (Reinke, 2009, p. 5). Thus, the more capabilities the customer has on one website, the more data they will enter and the least likely they will be willing to switch to another pharmacy.Finally, competitive advantage could be gained by marketing to physicians who use electronic prescription relay. CVS. com could create an interface just for physicians, easier to use than other s ystems and with added capabilities, such as pop-up restrictions from a patient’s insurance company or current promotions at the point a prescription was entered. Again, if physicians found this service useful, they would not want to learn a new system, sustaining the competitive advantage of CVS. com. SUMMARYThe issues surrounding the quest of CVS to successfully respond to the disruptive technology in a way that would create a sustainable competitive advantage in the drug store industry are examined. By evaluating the organizational structure of CVS. com, one can deduce 10 THE CVS WEB STRATEGY that fully acquiring the web company Soma. com, instead of creating its own online component, was a successful strategy in autonomous innovation that would benefit the company in the long run. In contrast, not executing a strategy to circumvent the Merck-Medco mail order dilemma may have contributed to CVS. com’s slow start in September of 1999.Because the PBM will likely not ag ree to be acquired by CVS, the best solution to this problem is to form an alliance with Merck-Medco, especially considering the market power of both CVS and Merck-Medco. Ultimately, in order to sustain a competitive advantage against companies who offer similar services, CVS. com must differentiate itself by capitalizing on the ability to personalize customer home pages and by fostering relationships with prescribing healthcare providers. 11 THE CVS WEB STRATEGY REFERENCES Christensen, C. M. (1997). The innovator's dilemma: when new technologies cause great firms to fail.Boston, Mass. : Harvard Business School Press. Conlin, R. (1999, October 6). CVS To Fill Online Orders For Merck-Medco. E-Commerce Times: E-Business Means Business. Retrieved June 12, 2012, from http://www. ecommercetimes. com/story/1380. html Fortune 500 2011: Top Performers – Most Profitable Companies: Profits. (n. d. ). CNNMoney Business, financial and personal finance news. Retrieved June 12, 2012, from http://money. cnn. com/magazines/fortune/fortune500/2011/performers/companies/profits/ Reinke, T. (2009, October). Large PBMs Transform Old Business Models. Managed Care, 1-4.Shah, A. (1999). CVS: The Web Strategy. Harvard Business School Publishing, 1(1), 1-17. Retrieved June 5, 2012, from the Harvard Business School Publishing database. Teece, D. J. , & Chesbrough, H. W. (2003). When is Virtual Virtuous? Organizing for Innovation. Essays in technology management and policy (pp. 189-197). River Edge: World Scientific Publishing Co. Teece, D. J. (2009). Governance Modes and Technological Innovation. Managing intellectual capital: organizational, strategic, and policy dimensions (p. 64). Oxford: Oxford University Press. (Original work published 2000) 12

Mass Media And Its Effect On The Air Waves - 1546 Words

Mass media distribution has been around since the invention of the printing press. (Gerbner, 1999) However, broadcast radio presented a higher level of distribution speed to this process and allowed for an extended reach to consumers. Since its creation, this technology has been controlled by FCC regulations and advertising support, limiting the freedom of the broadcasters so all of the possible listeners are happy. Between the government maintenance and listening trends, the range of music and content on the air waves has been reduced to 5 basic genres. The introduction of the internet has allowed this medium to once again evolve. The reach has been greatly extended, advertising made optional and freedom of use increased. This being said, the largest attraction to internet radio is its ability to be customized by the listener. Historically, the concept of internet radio has been around since the early 1990s. These broadcasts were still very limited because most of them were streams from terrestrial radio stations or niche talk shows. Carl Malamud began this phenomena with a weekly computer talk show, interviewing experts and streaming it openly online. These types of broadcasts became so popular that The Rolling Stone began playing a concert over the web as well. This idea would be copied over and over again by every musician and music producer. As file sharing spread and download speeds increased, issues began to rise between music streamers and theShow MoreRelatedHow A Nuclear Bomb Works1487 Words   |  6 Pagesthe formation of devastating destruction destructive effect. Extremely destructive bomb, now as a powerful national strength and performance heritage deterrence. 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